The crowd erupts in cheers as Chloe Kim dives off the block and quickly makes her way back to the wall, claiming her first-place victory. Although Kim is currently just a freshman at Yorba Linda High School, her past swim season has been far from ordinary. She has been an active swimmer since the age of six, as an athlete for Socal Aquatics, and recently joined the Yorba Linda High School Swim Team. To say her opening year was filled with endless accomplishments is an understatement; breaking numerous school records and placing at all her league meets is only the start to this athlete’s imprint on the school’s legacy.
Within the past few weeks, Yorba Linda High School hosted the Freeway League Meet, in which Kim won in both the 200 Meters Freestyle and 100 Meters Butterfly. Not only did she sweep her events, but she also shattered the previous school records, breaking the 200 Freestyle record of 1:52.82 with an astonishing time of 1:52.20. The 100 Butterfly record previously held at 59.20 was additionally replaced with Kim’s time of 57.80. By winning her individual events, she qualified for the California Interscholastic Federation Division 3 Preliminary and Finals, where she competed in the 200 Individual Medley with a groundbreaking time of 2:05.64, beating yet another school record. With this impressive performance, Kim even secured a spot to compete in the California State Swim Meet. This season, Chloe Kim broke three very competitive school records in her freshman year, a year supposedly characterized as “the rookie year” for incoming high school athletes.
Not only is Kim an exceptional swimmer, but she is also a valued teammate. One of the many attributes that make her such a stellar swimmer is that she has consistently proven to be a coachable athlete who contributes to the team’s dynamic. Described by her coach, Daniel Parahnevich (S), Kim “is naturally very talented [and] a great swimmer. She is an elite athlete who helps elevate the [Yorba Linda High School Aquatics] program.” Kim is always striving to become the best swimmer she can, which many of her fellow teammates acknowledge. She participates in both her individual events and team relays, such as the 4 by 100 Meter Freestyle. One of her relay teammates, Cynthia Lan (12), attests to this statement by claiming, “Although Chloe is already the fastest girl on the school team, she still holds herself to a very high standard and constantly sets new goals to achieve.”
Apart from being a talented swimmer, Kim is also a responsible student. She is able to manage a rigorous schedule of being engaged in school, swimming, and participating in extracurricular activities. She created an effective system to manage all three, and Chloe Kim (9) even explains that “the stress of school and the pressure of winning or losing is enough to make [people] forget why, but in light of that, it is important to keep going and push to be better. Competing, cheering, getting the grade [people] want, and chasing the next accomplishment that make the journey worthwhile.” With this mentality, Kim can continue to juggle all of these activities and maintain straight A’s in her freshman year of high school. Although Kim makes it seem easy, this task is very difficult to accomplish, and many of her peers and teachers describe her as a hard worker. Mrs. Shay (S), for example, acknowledges her hard work, even stating, “Her performance in the pool is not just about speed. It is also about the discipline and heart she brings to every single lap.”
The characteristic that makes Kim the swimmer, and even the person she is today, is her work ethic and grit. Kim is not a normal athlete; she is part of a select group that knows how to mentally push herself to greatness. Unlike others, she does not succumb to the negative mindset and knows how to control any negative thoughts of not being able to achieve her goals. This trait comes in various forms throughout her daily life, whether it be emulating confidence, cheering her team on at races, or pushing her teammates to break past this mindset as well. According to Cynthia Lan (12), Kim always has “a positive attitude towards everything she does…When swimmers are nervous before races, she is often the loudest one cheering and supporting them in every way she can.”
Kim has accomplished tremendous feats throughout her swimming career, especially this past swim season, and she would not have been able to do it all without the support of her loved ones and coaches. With the help of her parents, her brothers, and her coaches (Daniel, Hailey, and Jess).
Chloe Kim is a swimming phenomenon, breaking three Yorba Linda High School records in her freshman year of high school. On top of that, she is a highly academic student deeply involved in her community. Kim has influenced her loved ones, friends, teammates, and classmates through her perseverance and unwillingness to quit. She is not an average student nor athlete; she is an individual who proves time after time that she is willing to put in the work and become successful in her craft.
